Beginning March 15, hole Nos. 7-8-9 will be played as Nos. 16-17-18. Eventual plans for the course call for a new clubhouse that will overlook the current ninth hole (soon to be No. 18).

Meanwhile, construction of a new par-4 10th and modified 11th and 18th holes is completed and golfers will begin playing them and the new configuration of 7-8-9 on March 15. Until then, temporary greens are in use on Nos. 10 and 18.

The previous 10th hole will be the site of double-decker driving range. Construction is expected to begin in mid-April and the range should open in August, according to Bill Schickler, president of Premier Golf, which operates four Seattle courses, including par-28 Interbay, and six others in the Puget Sound area.

Most Read Stories

The 11th hole at Jackson has been shortened to a par-3, dropping par from 72 to 71 at the course. However, plans call for getting the stroke back by either lengthening No. 15 and making it a par-5 or possibly lengthening what is now the 17th hole (soon to be 8th) and making it a par-5.

However, after the change is made, par may drop to 71 again because there are plans to reduce the first hole from a par-5 over water to a par-4 to speed play, make a new par-3 second hole to replace the current blind-shot par-3, and rebuild the par-4 third hole so the tee shot goes through what is presently a wooded area.

These changes to holes 1-3 are part of the overall Jackson project that is not currently funded but is hoped to be completed in the future, Schickler said.

Schickler said a new clubhouse at Jefferson Park went out to bid, but the bids were too high and the City of Seattle is reassessing the situation. He is optimistic construction can begin this fall. He also said construction of a double-decker hitting deck at Bellevue Golf Course is scheduled for 2014. Lights were installed at the Bellevue range last year.

Note

• The Washington State Men’s Amateur is now a 54-hole event instead of 72. The tournament will be June 18-20 at Chambers Bay. One reason for the change is that many college golfers had scheduling problems with a four-day event plus a practice day to familiarize themselves with the course.

There will be two qualifying events: June 5 at the Olympic Course at Gold Mountain near Bremerton and June 6 at Wine Valley in Walla Walla. Some players, such as defending champion Chris Williams of the University of Washington, are exempt from qualifying.